EUROPEAN-LEVEL ARGENTINE MANUFACTURING
A recent visit to the FRANCISCO ROTUNDO & HNOS. S.R.L. metalworking company highlighted the remarkable metallurgical capabilities of Argentine industry, a fact that many may not be aware of today. Founded in 1968, the company specializes in manufacturing large, custom parts for various Argentine multinationals and has been producing high-quality gearbox machines for elevators for the past 15 years. Additionally, it has recently included machines from the Italian company Sassi in its product catalog.
The scale and manufacturing capacity of Francisco Rotundo & Bros. are comparable to those of traditional European machine scale and manufacturing capacity of Francisco Rotundo & Bros. are comparable to those of traditional European machine manufacturers. Visiting the factory is an impressive experience, as it produces steel parts of unprecedented precision and size.
However, for some inexplicable reason, his ROTIA elevator machine is not as widely recognized as it should be. We will explore that mystery later.
Originally from Calabria, Italy, specifically Savelli, Francisco is a machine enthusiast who works diligently, often on Saturdays and Sundays, to keep up with orders from companies like Loma Negra, Dálmine Siderca, and Techint. He manufactures custom-made parts based on specific drawings.
Given his more than 42 years of experience in the metalworking industry, it’s easy to imagine the quality and precision of his elevator machine.
Francisco Rotundo speaks with wisdom, spontaneity, and great sincerity. He has accomplished much and represents the humility of a true master in his field, as he shared with Revista del Ascensor. It’s hard to avoid praise when you visit the factory where steel parts of unprecedented precision and scale are produced.
However, for some strange reason, his ROTIA elevator machine is not as well-known as it should be. We’ll unravel that mystery later.
ORIGINS OF F. ROTUNDO & BROS.
“We’ve been producing elevator machines for 15 years, but we’ve always done precision machining. Our clients are Loma Negra, Cemento Avellaneda, Ferrosur, the Techint Group, Dálmine Siderca, and Ternium-Siderar. We manufacture custom-made spare parts for them. To do that, you have to have quality,” Rotundo tells us.
Revista del Ascensor: What equipment do you have to do all of this?
Francisco Rotundo: We have CNC machining equipment, CNC milling machines, and many excellent conventional machines that you’ll be able to see for yourself. We’re way ahead in machining because we’ve made fabulously important and large parts.
Making an elevator machine is quite simple compared to the work we’ve done over the years. To give you an idea, we made a 3,350-kilogram gear for Loma Negra in this workshop. But we also have another company that we bought in 2010, and there we do sheet metal bending. We’re practically the sole customers and suppliers, including Cíntolo-Curvasol in Ituzaingó, which makes pipes for Vaca Muerta. We could bend sheets of various thicknesses. We’ve cold-bent sheets up to 3 inches because we have a 1,000-ton press.
He shows us a photo of a part for a 6-piston hydraulic plate that holds couplers, manufactured in 2024. To make it, a round piece was started, and a hexagon was “sculpted” with a face-to-face measurement of 1.80 m and a height of 580 mm.
ROTIA MACHINE
R del A.: You began manufacturing the machine just 15 years ago. What prompted you to start this venture?
F.R.: – We had been doing special jobs based on drawings for some time. One day, Don Juan Sánchez and Mario Simonelli, CEOS of Ascensores Cóndor, visited me. They asked me to create a specific, custom part for them. Don Juan, who was knowledgeable about the workshop, said to me, “Kid, you have everything you need to make a machine. I’m going to bring you one to copy, and you’ll make a lot of money.” Mr. Simonelli sent me a SICOR machine, and that’s how the ROTIA was born. However, ROTIA accounts for less than 20% of our production. My workshop has been around for many years and handles many other projects.
R del A.: With F. Rotundo & Hnos.’s metallurgical expertise, we can imagine the quality and precision of your reduction machine.
F.R.: – ROTIA is our brand, inspired by the famous Sicor “Gato,” a machine that gained immense popularity in Europe due to its energy efficiency. This machine has a unique feature: with just 7.5 HP and a traction pulley measuring 340 mm, it can lift 630 kg; with 5 HP, it can lift 450 kg. In Argentina, however, to lift 630 kg, you typically need more than 10 HP. It also uses a thin cable that requires greater precision during installation. Care must be taken to ensure the machine is correctly positioned, and we regularly check the condition of the cables. It is the only machine with this energy-saving advantage. Many engineers from various companies are fans of ROTIA. Additionally, it includes advantages such as a sight glass for monitoring oil levels. We use high-strength bolts graded 12.9 and 8.8, which are three times more expensive than standard bolts.
This machine is unique in that it is split in half lengthwise into two blocks. The significant advantage of this design is that the crown remains centered and is secured with a lock, whereas other machines can have their crowns misaligned.
R del A.: – How did you go about copying the machine?
F.R.: – I based it on an Italian machine. At that time, I had no knowledge of elevator machines. I was informed that SICOR was the best, so I hired an unemployed SIAM engineer to draft plans for all the models.
R del A.: – Could copying it lead to any legal issues?
F.R.: – No, because theirs features a worm gear and rotor as a single piece, while ours has a coupling. Our design offers the advantage that if the motor fails, you can simply purchase a new one from the hardware store, install it, and keep going. With the other design, you have to wait for the motor to be rewound, as it is a complete machine with the shaft.
I also visited their remarkable factory in Trento, where I proposed buying just the worm gear and the crown, which are the heart of the machine. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach an agreement at that time. About 12 years ago, the owner of Sicor visited me when I was bringing a 10-meter diameter lathe to Argentina. He was shocked to learn that I wanted to buy it, considering it “the heart of the machine.” They simply ignored my proposal. He liked the ROTIA. Incidentally, I should mention that the government during that period wouldn’t allow him to bring in tires for machining here in the Pilar Industrial Park, and the lathe intended for making windmills ended up being taken to Colonia, Uruguay.
THE FACTORY PLANT
Upon entering the workshop, F. Rotundo introduces us to the machines and tools as if they were members of his family. We see a vertical lathe producing a giant wheel for the Siderar company. He shows us a Styrofoam model of the wheel and explains the steel manufacturing process. “This wheel will become a gear after we make the teeth; everything we manufacture is based on a drawing.”
We observe the racks made for the Bertotto company in Misiones, which specializes in tree-felling machines. “This is a Turri brand parallel lathe. This rack has a thread for attaching a nut; they are making that thread right now,” he tells us enthusiastically.
Next, we arrive at the Siemens motors of the ROTIA machine. We see gears waiting to have their teeth milled. “I want you to know that ours is the only machine in Argentina that manufactures the crown as a single forged piece, and it’s centrifugally cast. The others are keyed, which can cause play and lead to problems. By making it in one piece, there are no parts that can loosen.”
The structure of the ROTIA machines consists of two half-boxes, which are built using Swiss machining centers that operate simultaneously in both vertical and horizontal positions. Mr. Rotundo explains as he shows us the machines in his workshop. While many people purchase several parts from China, Rotundo manufactures them for any type of machine. “We produce a pulley puller that elevator maintenance personnel can use to remove pulleys of sizes 340, 400, or 520.”
R del A.: – Your ROTIA machine is more expensive than others on the market.
F.R.: – Our machine is pricier because the cost of manufacturing in Argentina is higher. However, the quality of our gearbox exceeds that of a Chinese machine, and it’s designed to be problem-free.
R del A.: – Why do many domestically manufactured machines leak oil?
F.R.: – They tend to leak due to machining defects, as well as the quality of the seals and bearings used. We install SKF bearings, which are the best in the market, and we use high-quality seals. Many manufacturers opt for cheaper components to save costs.
IMPORTATION
R del A.: – Why did you incorporate Sassi machines?
F.R.: – We’ve always resisted importing; we’ve always been manufacturers, but this time we had to get into this area because most of them are imported. I hope we don’t have to repeat “I’ve seen this movie before,” as a very important businessman in the Italian community, to which I belong, once said. I have a stock of 100 ROTIA machines, and so I must figure out what to do with them, not to see how much I earn selling them, but how much I can avoid losing money.
R del A.: – Are you already selling the Sassi machine?
F.R.: – The imported one arrived here a month ago. We’ve sold some. Right now, people care more about price than quality. The Sassi is of excellent quality. Unfortunately, I’m hurting my interests. We have it for 450, 600, and 750 kilos, with their respective spare parts.
On the other hand, the ROTIA has no problems whatsoever. I’ve always been told that my machine is comparable to European ones, and what’s more, we provide immediate support. If you have a problem when you get it, which seldom happens, we’ll replace it with another one immediately, without wasting time. Our machine is recognized as the best on the market by many professionals.
BIOGRAPHY
Companies and their founders share the same story. And Francisco Rotundo & Bros. is a company that, in addition to having excellent clients, is known for its versatility and efficiency. Francisco Rotundo is a quiet man with a strong and determined personality. He is, as they say, a man who is “done” but who will lay down his tools when he can no longer hold them.
Mr. Rotundo was born in Calabria, Italy, in a town called Savelli. He arrived with his family at age 7, the second of three siblings. Francisco is extremely proud of his Savellian heritage, so much so that today he is president of the Italian Savellian Association and has served as president of the Committee of Italians Abroad, which earned him an honorary Cavaliere award from former President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
Initially, his family’s financial difficulties meant that there would be no opportunities for him to study. But chance intervened, and he was able to finish his 7th year at the Casal Calviño technical school, where he graduated as a mechanical technician in machines and tools (See the box “Altri Tempi”).
In his second year, he switched to the night shift and began working at a factory called CAVIA, where he learned to use a lathe. At 19, that factory closed, and a friend who had a broken bench vice sold it to him. He fixed it and began to build his own company, FRAMI, with Francisco and his friend Miguel, his partner. “Becoming a good lathe operator takes a long time,” Francisco comments. “They don’t exist today, and that makes our job difficult.”
Francisco’s two brothers, Fernando and Serafin José, worked at the company, as its name suggests, but after the pandemic, they decided not to continue working. His son, Francisco Sergio, who worked alongside him since he was a child, and his daughters, Romina and Laura, who help him with the other company called Rosacor, continue to work with him.
Today, 16 people work at F. Rotundo & Hnos and 8 at Rosacor.
When asked about the company’s future, Rotundo comments that the current problem is the lack of skilled workers, which he attributes to the 1990s and the dismantling of the industry and industrial education. However, it seems Rotundo will be here for a while, because this factory is his life, and he doesn’t intend to leave it.
“ALTRI TEMPI”
One day, a neighbor named Francisco from the Lomas del Mirador neighborhood came over the Rotundo family’s home to ask Francisco’s father if he would send him to school. He wanted his son Antonio to study, and the condition he set was that he would attend school if Francisco accompanied him. In addition, the Rotundos’ financial situation was not good, and they did not consider having the future industrial entrepreneur attend secondary school. However, the neighbor insisted on sponsoring him so that both boys could attend school together. Finally, the pride of Francisco’s parents, Filomena and Domenico, prevailed, and with great effort, they paid for his studies until his second year, when he began studying at night so he could work. The comical thing is that the neighbor’s son dropped out of school after 30 days, and Francisco graduated as a mechanical technician in machines and tools after seven years of study.
